There is always going to be some natural tension in the ship building process between Class, Yards, Flag States, Insurance, and Charterers. The key tension, is commercial ships exist for only one reason, to make money. There is no inherent esoteric reason other than to make money.
So almost by definition there is enormous efforts put into rounding every corner, going close to the uncomfortable line, building a ford not a Ferrari - but hopefully not a Yugo.
What is left after this process is given to the sailors, who have to find a way to make this elaborate series of compromises called the new build - work.
So this market for commercially viable ships is the world we live in. And although anecdotes to the contrary abound - in general and in the main, ships are built, delivered, operated, get repaired, and at the end of their time scraped. Which is a pretty decent testament that the system works, in general.
Actuaries, according to my 2015 information say about 10 ships over 100 tons are lost at sea each year. These are the insured ones, of course many others who aren’t on records of insurance companies aren’t counted. Assuming one is not one on one of those 10 ships lost the record isn’t that bad. Of course if 10 large airplanes crashed things would be different. C’est la vie
I’m not a DP expert, or has any DP training, but I have had some involvement since my first experience with DP on the drillship SEDCO BP 471, back in 1983.
(I was onboard for the move from her last drilling location, off Mallorca, Spain. Recovering the stack and pulling riser from 2000 m. WD took nearly 2 days IIRC)
At that time the DP panel was a very large affair, situated in a separate DP Control Room above the bridge, which was only accessible for the DP Operators.
This was before she was converted to the Scientific Research Vessel JOIDES Resolution (1984) and drilled core holes all over the world’s oceans. (incl. the Marianas Trench, off Antarctica and north of Svalbard)
I visited here again in Sydney, Austr. in 1998, this time for an evaluation in conjunction with her sale from Texas A&M, College Station to DSND Shipping AS,
By then the DP control panel had shrunk substantially and was now situated on the Navigation Bridge.
Since then I have been on several DP Tests and FMEA Proving Trials, both on newbuilt and older vessels and rigs, so I’ve seen the development that has happened over the years.
PS> On all DP Tests and FMEA Trails, although run by a DP Consultant from Noble Denton, Global Maritime etc. a Class Surveyor has always been present to witness and approve the procedure and result,
AFAIK Flag State Authorities leave training and certifying of DPOs to NI and their authorized training institutes around the world.
In general Class is not involved in this, with the exception of DNV, who started their own DPO training and certification system together with Kongsberg by popular demand from the Offshore industry in 2012.
[quote=“Steamer, post:24, topic:61429, full:true”]
It’s not just Chouest, remember the economizer hydro on the El Faro? “Tested” and “passed” at 700 psig below the CFR 1.25 X WP standard.
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Regulatory capture. One can get away with killing people if one has the right connections. The USA sadly has devolved into a very expensive banana republic.
That died a death I think, charterers not accepting the scheme, it was just a money grab when things were booming. Typical DNV trying to say there is one validation system and its us.
Anyone know if its still around?
I think thats a cut and paste from 2012-2013 as per the reference in that doc?
A student getting a degree has to write something?
Lets see if anyone can post here that they have either done it or ever heard of anyone doing it?
Last I heard charterers dont accept it due to no seatime.
There is also the course in the USA for their unclassed Dp vessels ( cant get seatime for the NI course)
No. Published this year by: Karol Aleksander Nowak
Gdynia Maritime University, Faculty of Navigation, 3 Jana Pawła II Av., 81-345 Gdynia, Poland, e-mail: cpt.karol.nowak@gmail.com
